Yashwant Sinha slams NDA government over state of economy, women safety

As the NDA government nears its end, BJP veteran Yashwant Sinha presents a wrap of the fallacies under the four-year-rule of Narendra Modi, in his column titled ‘Dear friend, speak up’ in The Indian Express

In a scornful letter written to fellow members, that was published in The Indian Express, former finance minister and BJP veteran Yashwant Sinha expressed his disappointment and resentment with the NDA government on a bunch of issues, including the state of Indian economics and safety of women.

Here are five key takeaways from Sinha’s letter:

On how non-performing assets and banking scams have taken a toll on the economy:

“A fast growing economy does not accumulate the kind of non-performing assets in its banks, as we have done over the last four years. In a fast growing economy, the farmers are not in distress, the youth are not without jobs, small businesses do not stand destroyed and savings and investments do not fall as drastically as they have done over the last four years. What is worse, corruption has raised its ugly head again and banking scams are tumbling out of the closet one after another. The scamsters also manage to run away from the country somehow, as the government watches helplessly.”

Coincidentally, this scathing allegation by Sinha hits the citizens the same day that a cash crunch was reported as ATMs in several states including poll-bound Karnataka have run dry.

On safety of women, in the light of the Unnao and Kathua gangrapes; and subsequent attack on minorities:

“Women are more unsafe today than ever before. Rapes have become the order of the day and instead of acting strictly against the rapists, we have become their apologists. In many cases, our own people are involved in these heinous crimes. The minorities are alienated. The worst is that the Scheduled Castes and Tribes, the weaker sections of our society, have been exposed to atrocities and inequities as never before and the guarantees given to those in the Constitution stand threatened.”

On no attempt by the Centre to resolve parliamentary disruptions that formed majority of the recently concluded Budget Session:

“Parliament has been reduced to the level of a joke. The prime minister did not even once sit down with senior leaders of the Opposition parties in Parliament when the just-concluded Budget Session was being disrupted in order to find a way out. Then he fasted to shift the blame to others. The first part of the most important Budget Session was the shortest ever.”

Sinha compared these disruptions with those during Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s time, adding that the then prime minister made sure that the government at the Centre was accommodating of the Opposition.

On the alleged dilution of The Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989:

“The situation demands that you speak up in national interest. I am glad to note that at least five Scheduled Caste MPs of the party have expressed their disenchantment with the government for not delivering on the promises made to the community.”

It is noteworthy that the Centre had filed a review petition against the Supreme Court order that there would be no automatic arrest on any complaint filed under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act after much disenchantment by various political parties which were opportunistic to use the order as campaign fodder.

He also warned fellow BJP members of losing their Lok Sabha tickets in the case of a united Opposition:

“I do not know how many of you will get the ticket for the next Lok Sabha elections but if previous experience is any guide, half of you at least will not. The chances of your winning the election, even if you get the ticket, are fairly remote. In the last Lok Sabha election, the BJP had secured only 31 per cent votes; 69 per cent was polled against it. So, if the opposition unites, you will be nowhere.”

To conclude his letter, Sinha invited the intervention of senior party leaders LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi for course correction, lest the failures of the government overshadow its successes completely.